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MIC Que Makes His Mark on Debut Mixtape, "18 & Dead"

MIC Que’s debut mixtape, 18 & Dead, just dropped this week, and the young Virginia rapper already feels a sense of relief.

“There’s a lot of stuff that’s been building up over the last few years that I had to get off my chest with this tape,” said MIC on the phone.

For MIC Que, the road to finishing 18 & Dead was a long one. He’s been working with a crew of producers for the last 2 years, including Sour 7, Happy Beats, Fly, and AlexayBeats. His producers are from all over the world, spanning from England to California. Although he’s never met them in person, MIC has formed a strong network with them through working on this project.

When he’s in the studio, MIC’s process is fluid. Drawing inspiration from almost anything that might spark his interest, he begins with laying down a hook.

“I try to find a melody and freestyle for a little bit. Once I record the hook, I’ll freestyle a verse or write it down.” MIC continued, “Then, I’ll play it back a few times and fix it up. It takes about 20-30 minutes for me to write a song.”

At a time when so many rappers are on the come-up, it’s especially hard to set yourself apart. However, MIC Que values a unique sound without any smoke and mirrors where his abilities as a rapper are front and center. MIC delivers bold lyrics with the confidence of a seasoned veteran despite his newcomer status.

“It’s straight bars from me – bars that make you think, but at the same time, you bang it,” he explained.

You can hear the range of influences MIC has on 18 & Dead; he references everything from Star Wars on the track “Raw Power,” to Jean-Claude Van Damme on “Van Dam.”

He said, “outside of rap, I’m influenced by punk bands like Jawbreaker. I’m influenced by anything I find cool.”

Now that 18 & Dead has dropped, MIC Que looks forward to his collaborator Captain Ki’s upcoming mixtape. He also mentioned a sequel to 18 & Dead titled 2 Dead 2 Care, which he plans to release later this year.

But for now, MIC Que reflected on his debut mixtape as the start of a new chapter in his life:

“It’s like I died, and now I’m reborn. This is MIC Que going to the future.”